Who Designs Olympic Medals—and What Must Stay the Same?

The Games do not use one permanent medal

Every Olympic edition receives a medal programme tied to its host identity. The organising committee develops the design, but it does not begin with a blank object: IOC specifications govern inscriptions, Olympic marks and competition information.

The result is a controlled design system. Continuity identifies the Olympic Games; local choices identify the edition.

The IOC standardised the Summer obverse

In 1907 the IOC decided to pursue a standard medal design. Giuseppe Cassioli later won the design competition, and his obverse debuted at Amsterdam 1928.

It showed Nike, the goddess of victory, and became the shared face of Summer medals through Mexico City 1968. Host committees could express themselves elsewhere on the object.

Munich expanded host freedom

Munich 1972 broke with the traditional reverse, using Gerhard Marcks’ image of Castor and Pollux. The change established the reverse as a major host-designed surface.

This development parallels the broader question of how Olympic hosts are chosen: the IOC owns the event framework, while the host expresses a particular Games within it.

Athens 2004 introduced a new Nike

For Athens 2004, Elena Votsi designed a new obverse showing Nike flying into the Panathenaic Stadium. The image corrected the geographical logic of the older Roman-arena background and tied the medal to the revived Games’ Greek setting.

That motif began a new Summer tradition rather than eliminating host design from the opposite face.

Winter medals have a wider visual range

Winter Olympic medals have varied dramatically in material, shape and construction. The IOC history notes forms ranging from Sarajevo’s near-square medals to Turin’s ring and Vancouver’s rounded-square “squircle.”

The variation does not mean there are no rules. It means the shared Olympic identity is carried through required marks and approval rather than one fixed silhouette.

The neck ribbon is also a design decision

Rome 1960 introduced a chain so medals could be hung around athletes’ necks, although organisers reportedly kept scissors ready in case the innovation was rejected. It became the expected presentation language.

The medal ceremony now feels ancient, but many details are designed conventions. Like the Olympic rings, their power comes from controlled repetition, not immutability.

A medal is both award and host document

Its metal and placing identify sporting achievement; its imagery records how a host wanted its Games remembered. That dual role explains why Olympic medals belong in both competition history and graphic design history.

The history of the Olympics is therefore visible not only in stadiums and results but in the changing small objects placed around athletes’ necks.

Frequently asked questions

Who designs Olympic medals?

The organising committee develops each Games' medals within specifications and approvals set by the IOC.

Are all Summer Olympic medals the same?

No. They share required Olympic elements but hosts design substantial parts of the object.

What was the Cassioli design?

Giuseppe Cassioli's Nike-centred obverse won an IOC competition and became the Summer Games standard from 1928.

Why did the design change in 2004?

Athens introduced Elena Votsi's Nike flying into the Panathenaic Stadium, beginning a new shared Summer medal tradition.

Can Winter Olympic medals have unusual shapes?

Yes. Winter medals have historically varied more widely, including square, ring-like and rounded-square forms.

When were medals first hung around athletes' necks?

Rome 1960 introduced a chain for most medals, helping establish the modern neck presentation.